NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fitbit and other wearable devices typically linked to exercise are being studied as ways to identify people potentially infected with COVID-19 before symptoms appear, when they can spread the disease without knowing it.
Changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and other biometric data constantly measured by the devices can indicate the early stages of virus infection, so a healthy-looking person knows how to isolate himself and look for a COVID-19 diagnostic test. , the researchers say.
“When you get sick, even before you know it, your body begins to change, your heart rate increases,” said Professor Michael Snyder of Stanford University School of Medicine.
Stanford researchers are among several groups examining whether portable fitness devices like Fitbit or Apple Watch can provide an early warning. Snyder’s team enrolled 5,000 people in the study and studied historical data from the smart watch from 31 users who tested positive for COVID-19.
Of those 31, 80 percent had data on their portable devices that indicated infection at or before symptoms appeared. Portable devices detected signs of infection early, at the time, or before symptoms appeared, on an average of three days.
In one case, Snyder’s team found that a smart watch was able to detect the first sign of possible COVID-19 infection nine days before more obvious symptoms were reported.
“We can tell when someone gets sick before symptoms. That’s super powerful, “said Snyder. “You can tell people to stay home. Don’t go out, infect other people.
The new coronavirus has infected more than 15 million people and has killed more than 600,000 worldwide since it was first identified in January. Early telltale symptoms include cough, fever, and loss of smell.
Big tech companies hope that smartwatches can replace the slowdown in sales of their top offerings, with an argument for consumers that wearable devices can improve their lifestyles. Apple Watch has been billed as the biggest hit in the industry, and Google agreed to buy Fitbit last year for $ 2.1 billion in hopes of catching up.
Fitbit is conducting its own research on how its devices can help with early detection of COVID-19, involving 100,000 people in the US and Canada, including 900 diagnosed with the virus.
“We have seen the changes in respiratory rate and heart rate that we suspected would happen,” said Fitbit chief scientific researcher Conor Heneghan.
Device makers are also studying possible early signs of COVID-19 infection among professional athletes who wear personalized fitness trackers, such as Whoop, a bracelet, and Oura, a ring worn on the finger.
Promising results from separate university studies of the Oura ring, produced by Oura Health, prompted the National Basketball League to purchase 2,000 devices for players and staff to use to closely monitor heart rate and temperature. The PGA Tour purchased 1,000 Whoop bands for players, caddies and media that cover the golf tournament, Whoop founder Will Ahmed said.
“They are using technology to measure everything about their bodies, but especially the respiratory rate, which we have found is a very important statistic in understanding COVID-19,” said Ahmed.
(This story corrects the 5th graph to show that 80 percent of the 31 confirmed cases indicated infection at or before symptoms appeared; corrects the 10th graph to show that the study involves 900 people diagnosed with the virus)
Written by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Alistair Bell
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